Waratahs all but lock in 2017 roster

The Waratahs have all but finalised their 2017 squad, with the announcement of a 35-man playing roster on Tuesday.

NSW has one spot open on its squad, after releasing lock Leon Power for knee surgery, but have locked 35 players down.

Eight of them are new to the squad, including Aussie Sevens star Cam Clark and Queensland U20s playmaker Mack Mason, who helped the national U20s to a win over New Zealand in May.

Three NRC players have been added to the contracted list in prop Sam Needs, hooker Damien Fitzpatrick and the competition’s player of the year Irae Simone, while NSW Country Eagles’ Andrew Deegan has been upgraded from a development contract.

Next year’s squad will miss plenty of star power, with Kurtley Beale, Dave Dennis, Tatafu Polota-Nau and the franchise’s most capped player, Benn Robinson, all absent from the 2017 roster.

The battle for the starting hooker spot will be intense, with Polota-Nau moving cross-country to join the Force and Tolu Latu’s recent NRC form earned him a Wallabies debut.

Latu played minimal matches for the Waratahs in 2016, because of suspension, injury and the form of Hugh Roach, who will not be keen to cough up the starting position.

Clark looks set to start as a fullback contender, though has indicated a long-term desire to switch to the midfield, while Israel Folau’s midfield stint looks set to become more permanent, with the Test fullback included among the midfield players.